Each month, the team will get together and pick an individual moment from the previous month that stood out for us. The only criteria is the moment had to happen in August, and it has to revolve around anything involving MMA prospects.
Shawn Bitter
Before I talk about Tater McSpadden, I’ll share his knockout from August since it’s why you’re here and the point of this whole piece.
Credit- @Grabaka_Hitman
McSpadded beautifully timed knee to the body, dropping his opponent, and followed up with the nastiest 12-6 elbows I’ve ever seen. With that, McSpadden is now on a three-fight winning streak. Across combat sports, his win streak is up to nine, spanning Combat Jiu-Jitsu, kickboxing, and Muay Thai.
McSpadden has had his fair share of shortcomings. 2-2 in kickboxing, 5-2 in pro MMA, and 2-2 in amateur MMA, so he’s not new to suffering setbacks. He’s proven to be too much for the lower-level region guys, only losing to steps up in competition.
McSpadden isn’t gonna wow you technically, but he’s gonna have you tune in every single time. McSpadden is one of the most violent regional fighters today. Nasty leg kicks, brutal knees to the body, and he mixes in knees effectively. He’s constant forward pressure, looking to trade in the pocket and throw down. It’s a shame he’s been only fighting for the XFN promotion. His style should be broadcast to a larger fan base.
Cedric Dumas
August marked the return of Samandar Murodov, after what felt like an eternity. The 27-year-old had not competed since August 2024, when he appeared in a Road to UFC showcase bout, leaving one of the sport’s more intriguing undefeated prospects stuck on the sidelines for far too long.
That changed on August 14, when Murodov accepted a short-notice fight against Christian Turner at CFFC 159 in Philadelphia. The timing made the opportunity even more significant, with UFC matchmakers in attendance ahead of UFC 330 the following day. Expectations were high for the Tajik prospect. Murodov did his part, extending his perfect record to 12-0 with a decision victory. Sadly, his performance was shadowed by yet another fight going the distance, a reality somewhat regular for Murodov.
The inactivity pushed him out of the Prospect Vault Top 25, but he remains firmly within the 25-50 buffer zone for most of us on the team. A return to regular competition could quickly put him back in the Top 25, provided he can build some momentum.
The biggest question remains his finishing instinct. Murodov has the tools to become a high-level fighter, but he has already had two Road to UFC showcase opportunities without turning either into a UFC contract. As I wrote on Twitter back in August, he has the skills, but perhaps not yet the style that gets you to the UFC.
At 12-0, he needs to move to a larger international promotion. CFFC is beneath his current level, and the PFL could become an increasingly realistic alternative if the UFC keeps passing.
Hopefully, the next appearance comes with a full camp and gives Murodov the chance to finally punch his ticket to the big leagues.
Benjamin Keith
Muhidin Abubakar was the largest riser in my rankings this month, going from #53 to #25. I long discounted Muhidin because once the competition got to a legitimate level, he couldn’t find the finish. However, over the past year, he has gotten two first-round finishes over two tough Brazilians and flipped the narrative about his ability to inflict damage. Good everywhere, with special talent in top pressure and ground-and-pound, Abubakar is one of the best unsigned flyweights in the world. And while it was never a question if he could be competitive in the UFC, it’s now been shown he can go in there and be the kind of finisher the UFC prioritizes signing.
Flyweight as a whole is as strong as it’s ever been, both on a regional and major promotion level. Abubakar, Mokaev, Rashid Vagabov, Christian Natividad, Takaya Suzuki, and Marcos Degli (the latter 3 being a win away from entering the UFC) are all regional flyweights that would make tremendous additions to what has become one of the UFC’s strongest and most exciting divisions.
Credit- @Grabaka_Hitman
James Colwell
Ever heard of the Games of the Future? Don’t worry, no one else has either. It’s an e-sports event that, for MMA, uses the results from fighting games as part of the scoring if two fighters go to a decision. The problem is that this year’s edition featured many top prospects from Russia and Central Asia. Standout names included: Maxim Fukhs, David Samuel, Temirkhan Temirkhanov, Mukhamed-Afandi Asipov, Denis Zhukov, Aleksandr Vasiliev, and Khalim Nazruloev. Samuel is signed to the PFL, and it’s representative that the only one repping a country outside Russia and the -stans is the one getting a bigger opportunity.
Nazruloev is my #8 prospect in the world, Temirkhanov is #12, Zhukov is #43, and Vasiliev is #47. Fighters of this caliber shouldn’t have to be competing in strange hybrid events, but there simply aren’t many other options for them right now. The UFC clearly has a quota on Russians, with a preference for people affiliated with Khabib or Khamzat, and Central Asians are gradually joining the roster but not at a rate matching the amount of talent in the region. If they join ACA, it’s become clear that they’re unlikely to leave without a contract dispute. Most of these guys already fight for RCC, but that’s a second-tier promotion in Russia, so they’re not getting challenged enough for how good they could be. I’m not sure what the solution is, but it’s a shame to see so much talent stagnating.
Patrick Danna
Mehemmedeli Osmanli captivated anyone who cared enough to watch this season of TUF with his electric style and time-bomb personality. The Azerbaijan prospect finished LFA and BFL champions Artem Belakh and Christian Strong, stamping his spot in the final against Kyrgyzstan’s Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu.
Akylbek Uulu is a grinding wrestler who settled his feud with Sean Mora in the quarterfinals then edged an upset decision over Xavier Franklin in the semi-finals. However, Dana White and his own coach, Michael Bisping, did not seem to be fans of his wrestling-heavy style. I thought both of Akylbek Uulu’s wins could’ve been losses; however, I think his run ends on September 26th when he faces Osmanli. I expect him to counter the wrestling with creative submissions and scrambles that will wear Uulu down and give Osmanli another finish.
With that said, Osmanli’s spot in the final comes as no surprise, being my top-ranked bantamweight coming into the season and finishing it in my top 5 prospects worldwide. Akylbek Uulu, on the other hand, is a shocker. He came into the season in the 6/7th spot of my rankings (tied with Christian Strong).
On the women’s strawweight side of the season, Melissa Amaya came in as a bit of a wild card. A strong run in Combate against average competition didn’t set high expectations, but she came out with a bang, decimating FURY FC champion and #1 pick Anna Melisano. In the semi-finals, she faced my top-rated prospect of the season in Gigi Canuto. Amaya weathered an insane storm of submissions from the Brazilian, surviving an armbar that broke her arm and snagging the early Round 2 TKO.
Amaya faces another Brazilian, Tina Black, also known as Valesca Machado, in the finals. Black put on a striking clinic in the opening round to put down Natalia Alves by TKO, then waged a war of attrition against her friend Delphine Benaouich. Despite grappling trouble and a hand injury, Black fought to a decision win to book her spot in the finals.
Before this season was announced, Black was unrated on my prospect rankings due to her inactivity. It was a pleasant surprise seeing her on TUF, and I slotted her at #2 behind Canuto in my pre-TUF rankings once I found out she was on. Amaya was the wild card of the season for me, coming in at #5. Either way, this season ends with 5/8 of the cast in the UFC, as Canuto, Melisano, and Benaouich were all signed despite their losses. I expect to get at least 4/8 of the men by the end of the year as well (including the two finalists).
Drew Beaupre
There were several significant upsets in the UFC during the month of August, but even Song Yadong’s knockout of Umar Nurmagomedov to close out UFC Shanghai didn’t come close to how the betting odds were defied during Week 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series.
On the same night where another second-generation MMA fighter in Ronald Humphrey punched his ticket to the UFC with a first-round finish, Bella Mir dropped a unanimous decision to Alex Apodaca after coming into the night as the biggest betting favorite in the history of DWCS. The daughter of former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir, it was never going to be an option for Bella to quietly build her fighting resume and accumulate experience away from the spotlight in the same way most promising young MMA fighters are usually able to.
There’s little doubt that Dana White and the UFC brass were expecting Mir to run through Apodaca and secure a UFC contract, but in fairness, most fans were also anticipating that same outcome. The question now becomes not only how the 23-year-old will rebound from the loss, but also how some MMA fans will view Mir going forward after the significant hype around her was halted on such a high-profile stage.
